Clioquinol (CQ) is a mass-produced drug with broad-spectrum antifungal and antibacterial properties. This neurodegenerative medicine has attracted significant attention in the pharmaceutical field. However, excessive administration of CQ presents neurotoxic effects that require its early detection and effective countermeasures. Electrochemical detection can be beneficial in this regard, using functional material architectures with multiple advanced features. A unique emphasis is placed on manipulating these hierarchical structures, for advanced functions, offering an impressive perspective for monitoring systems. In this paper, we report on the innovative synthesis of distinct structures of AB2O4 (AB = Zn, Co, and Mn) spinel metal oxide anchored sulfur-doped reduced graphene oxide (S-rGO) for the effective detection of CQ. Fascinatingly, unique flower-like manganese cobaltite (MCO) exhibits superior structural advantages over other spinels, and doping of S-rGO into the framework marks a significant improvement in electrochemical properties. The highly symmetrical floral architecture with straight edges and facets provides defect-rich active sites, and the dissolution of S-rGO facilitates faster electron transfer and improved surface area. A wide linear response range, low detection limit, excellent reproducibility, and stability show that this material offers an efficient electrocatalyst that reinforces the practical viability of S-rGO doped MCO spinel for analysis and monitoring of real samples. The unique structural characteristics of the synthesized electrocatalyst can further extend its functions and applications, thereby expanding its potential capabilities.

No abstract

In this work, uniform hierarchical mesoporous 3D-urchin-like Bi2S3@2D-nanosheet g-C3N4 was synthesized via a superficial hydrothermal method. The prepared pristine Bi2S3, g-C3N4, and 3D-Bi2S3@2D-g-C3N4 composite samples were extensively studied for their electrochemical performance and exhibited superior battery-type behaviors. The results highlight that the optimized 3D-Bi2S3@2D-g-C3N4 composite sample exhibits a high areal capacity of 41.53 μA h/cm2 at 1 mA/cm2 and a good rate capability of 62.77% along with a remarkable capacity retention of 94.86% after 5000 cycles. The improved performance can be attributed to the good beneficial features of the synergistic effect, mesoporous structure, and lower dissolution. It offers a higher specific surface area, enriches electroactive sites, increases electronic/ionic conductivities, and reduces the interfacial resistance. Furthermore, the solid-state symmetric supercapacitors (SSCs) were assembled by two similar electrodes of 3D-Bi2S3@2D-g-C3N4 sandwiched between the KOH and PVA gel electrolyte. The fabricated SSC device provides a high areal capacity of 25.40 μA h/cm2 at 1 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the SSC delivers a maximum power density of 1495 μW/cm2 and an energy density of 3.17 μW h/cm2 with a good cyclic retention of 83.84% after 7500 cycles. This work also demonstrates the practical applicability of realizing red-light-emitting diodes by interconnecting two SSCs in series.

The large-scale usage of fungicides has been encountered with their manifestations in various agro-food products. This causes several detrimental impacts such as phytotoxicity and microbial resistance that affect different levels of ecological organization, which call for strict quantification of such toxic substances. In this work, we report the synthesis of molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) MXene on three-dimensional Globe Amaranth flower-like NiMn layered double-hydroxide (NiMn-LDH) petal arrays that are intercalated with the CO3 2– backbone via a sustainable, scalable, and facile synthetic hydrothermal route for the electrochemical detection of carbendazim (CBZ). The fabricated electrode favors enlarged active surface area, high electrical conductivity, rapid mass transport, and ion diffusion that enhance the electrochemical performance toward CBZ monitoring where the combined effects of NiMn-LDH and Mo2C provide improved electrochemical properties. Under optimum conditions, the Mo2C@NiMn-LDH-modified electrode delivers static characteristics such as wide dynamic linear response (0.001–232.14 μM), low detection limit (0.2 nM), higher sensitivity (95.71 μA μM–1 cm–2), and good stability (30 cycles) and reproducibility (5 electrodes). We further demonstrate the interference-free sensing of CBZ by the Mo2C@NiMn-LDH sensor, suggesting its feasibility for practical applications in real-world samples with acceptable recovery ranges (water sample = ±97.50–99.43% and vegetable extract samples = ±98.20–99.86%).

Potentially hazardous chemical contaminants endanger the environment and human well-being, challenging the scientists and policy-makers to develop holistic alternative approaches for remediation. The addition or accumulation of these chemicals can...